Quadrafire 4100i

[Macz311]

So I have had my quadrafire 4100 for about 3 months. Since the first breakin in fires, my glass has been getting excessively dirty. Tech has come out and tried modifying the baffle blanket, then we removed it, but it is still happening.
It seems to draft well and at first, it stays clear, but slowly it begins to get covered in soot. It is very frustrating because I cannot watch the fire for long and I must clean the glass after each fire (not an easy task). Any suggestions on what could be wrong or what I can suggest to the tech? They are just as puzzled as I am.

Thank you.

 

[Sprinter]

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that comes to mind, and the most likely, is the quality of wood in terms of moisture content. Tell us about the wood. Species, moisture content, how long split and stacked, etc.

Whatever the problem, I'm sure we can help with it.

 

[Macz311]

Thanks so much for the reply, wood is oak. The trees fell during hurricane Irene 2 years ago. Last year it was split, stacked and covered. To eliminate the possibility of bad wood, I purchased kiln dried hard wood and still had the same problem.

 

[Jags]

What is the build of your stack? How tall? Bends? Air setting on stove? Stove temps? (I realize that you have an insert, but can you get a reading off of the front corner of the stove?)

 

[Sprinter]

You did the right thing by trying the kiln dried wood. That helps. Poor draft can do it but you say it seems adequate. However, it may not really be. Could you be turning the air down a little too soon? Take us through a typical burning protocol and what stove temperature you're operating at.

BTW, it may not be the direct cause of the immediate issue, but you need to be aware that oak needs more than a year to dry sufficiently to burn well. Some say as long as three years. It's a really slow drying species. Be sure to use the kiln dried stuff when you're doing the troubleshooting for this.

 

[Macz311]

Quad has a start up air control allowing a lot of air in, then it closes down automatically. sometimes I crack the door to get a real hot fire. I leave the burn rate control open for a few hours or until I'm at about 450. I add hardwood periodically to keep a consistent burn and I have the ghost flames associated with the burning smoke. By the time the stove is up to temp. I already have build up on the glass and it progressively gets worse. I thought the air wash system was suppose to keep the glass clean, but it seems to be failing.
The tech suggested possibly extending the chimney, but said it was not a short one to begin with (14 feet).
Thanks for the tip about the wood, I have other hardwood mixed in that is even dryer and older, so I'm not thinking this is the problem, but I will keep burning the kiln dry for now.

 

[Jags]

I leave the burn rate control open for a few hours or until I'm at about 450.

Is this the primary air lever? If so, there should be no need to leave that wide open. After a well established fire, it should be adjusted way down on the low end of the scale (maybe 5-25% open, depending on your install). If you do this, what do the stove temps do?

 

[Macz311]

Yes, and The primary air control is only open until the stove reaches peak performance, then I dial it down to maintain a hot fire without over firing the stove. Am I running it too hot for too long?

 

[Jags]

Being an insert - where are you measuring the stove temp? I have no preconceived notion at this point, just trying to gather as much info as possible to help us help you. Dirty glass is not typically an indicator of running too hot. It is just the opposite (normally).

 

[Sprinter]

Yes, and The primary air control is only open until the stove reaches peak performance, then I dial it down to maintain a hot fire without over firing the stove. Am I running it too hot for too long?

Well, you are, but that may or may not be interfering with the air wash. But what it will do is waste a lot of fuel with too much heat going up the flue. Typically, you should be able to start turning the air down in several steps when the fire is burning well, the flue temps are above creosote levels and the secondaries are burning. I can do that by the time the stove top is 250F. YMMV as always.

 

[Jags]

I wait till I hit greater than 500F stove top. Point being that some of this stuff is just operational pref. I don't mind sending a little heat up the stack during startup. I even make it a point to hit north of 800F on the stack temp (probe reading).

 

[Sprinter]

I wait till I hit greater than 500F stove top. Point being that some of this stuff is just operational pref. I don't mind sending a little heat up the stack during startup. I even make it a point to hit north of 800F on the stack temp (probe reading).

True, and there are many differences in installations. My stack temps reach 800 in the first few minutes (maybe 5 or so) and will hit over1200 if I don't catch it in time. I also notice that the sooner I can safely turn the air down, the quicker the stove gets up to temp with the secondaries.

I have to say I am surprised that you wait for 500, though. But whatever works, works.

 

[Jags]

I have to say I am surprised that you wait for 500, though. But whatever works, works.

At 500 stove top with wide open primary I have a stack temp of ~800. Right where I want it to hit. Then I tune it down for the long haul. Stack temp drops and stove top will climb a bit.

 

[Sprinter]

The tech suggested possibly extending the chimney, but said it was not a short one to begin with (14 feet)

14' might be a bit marginal. Some makers require 15, but many stoves get away okay with 13, like mine does. Hard to say in your case.

I leave the burn rate control open for a few hours or until I'm at about 450.

It's actually the "few hours" part that I'm more curious about than the 450 degree part. How long does it usually take to get to 450?